Fried Catfish

Fried catfish is a staple of southern and Alabama cooking, and fish fries have long been among the state’s community gatherings [1]. Behind the dish stands a farm-raised catfish industry that began in 1960 with a small hatchery in Greensboro, Hale County, and grew until Alabama produced about 120 million pounds in 2016, roughly a third of U.S. production [2][3]. Alabama is among the leading catfish states, along with Mississippi, the top producer, and Arkansas [2][3].

Fish fries in Alabama foodways

Rural Alabama gatherings included cane grindings, chicken stews, peanut boils and fish fries, and fish fries continued in urban and suburban areas as other traditions faded [1]. See Alabama Cuisine.

How the industry began

In 1960 Hale County residents Chester “Check” Stephens, Richard True and Bryant Allen started a small channel catfish hatchery in Greensboro, naming it STRAL Company from their last names [2]. Their first spawning in summer 1961 produced nearly 50,000 fry [2]. In 1967 Joe Glover joined True and Stephens to form STRAL Processing Company, the first catfish processor to use a skinning machine [2]. Separately, the Kyser family says Joseph Alison Kyser built four ponds in 1967 that were the first in Alabama built specifically for commercial catfish farming [3]. In 1969 STRAL was sold to Nebraska Consolidated Mills, which later became ConAgra [2].

Growth and technology

Before the 1970s the public did not widely see catfish as good to eat, and overproduction often pushed prices down [2]. In 1970 Glover started Farm Fresh Catfish Company, which added filleting and a quality-control system [2]. Around 1975 Lenson Montz and Otis Breland of Greensboro built a paddle-wheel aerator, a design used on nearly every catfish farm today [2]. The Alabama Fish Farming Center opened in Greensboro in 1983, and Joe Glover Jr. founded Southern Pride Catfish in Demopolis and Greensboro, which became the leading U.S. processor and was sold to American Seafoods Group in 2003 [2]. By 2000 most Hale County residents had jobs tied to catfish farming or processing [2].

Farming practices

Ponds are typically stocked in December with 4- to 6-inch fingerlings fed 32 percent protein floating pellets; fish are harvested at one to two pounds after about 18 months, and a typical truck carries 25,000 pounds [3]. Growers run aerators, especially at night, and Alabama’s competitive electricity costs help keep the industry viable [3]. A typical Black Belt farm example runs 50 ponds covering about 700 acres and produces about 5 million pounds a year [3].

Decline and present

The industry declined in the 2000s because of rising feed prices, the 2008 recession, a bacterial strain and higher energy costs, and most of all because of competition from Vietnam and China [2]. U.S. production was about 600 million pounds around 2004 and about 325 million pounds when Alabama Living wrote in 2018 [3]. In 2016 national production was 363 million pounds, and Alabama’s 120 million pounds made it second behind Mississippi [2][3]. The state had more than 17,000 water surface acres in production and 85 farms, and Greensboro calls itself the “Catfish Capital of Alabama” on its water tower [3]. Since 2018 new tariffs and a shift of inspection oversight from the FDA to the USDA have increased regulation of imported catfish [2].

FAQs

Which Alabama counties raise the most catfish? Hale County leads, followed by Greene, Dallas and Perry [2][3].

Where does Alabama rank? Second behind Mississippi in U.S. production [3].

Sources

1. Encyclopedia of Alabama: Alabama Foodways
2. Encyclopedia of Alabama: Catfish Industry
3. Alabama Living: Catfish industry keeps Black Belt region afloat

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 10, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue